


That's So Us

by mendes_01



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, Platonic Relationships, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25874962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mendes_01/pseuds/mendes_01
Summary: Eight babies adopted by Reginald Hargreeves grew up together in the Umbrella Academy to develop their powers to save the world. You are Number Eight, and here is the story of how you get dragged into stopping the Apocalypse.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves & Reader, Ben Hargreeves & Reader, Diego Hargreeves & Reader, Klaus Hargreeves & Reader, Luther Hargreeves & Reader, Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy) & Reader, Vanya Hargreeves & Reader
Kudos: 18





	1. What A Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> Reader's powers are making force fields. However, she does have some limitations that will appear in the story. 
> 
> The story follows the Netflix series but with the reader included. 
> 
> There are no pairings, so it will all be platonic for now unless I get requests for one. 
> 
> Also, I do not own the characters or plot of The Umbrella Academy. That belongs to the writers Jeremy Slater, Gerard Way and Peter Hoar, the director.

**On the first day of October 1989, forty-three women around the world simultaneously gave birth. That was unusual, only in the fact that none of the women had been pregnant when the day first began.**

**Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer, made it his mission to locate and adopt as many of the children as possible.**

**He got eight of them.**

**_30 years later, 2019_ **

Number One, Luther, sits atop one of the rocky bluffs, staring out to watch a brilliant blue orb: the Earth itself from the surface of the Moon. Luther wears a sort of protective suit, but his body proportions are all wrong. His figure is gigantic, misshapen, and grotesquely muscular. The look on his face is one of a lonely man. The communication device at his side blinks, and as he scans the incoming message, his expression becomes shocked. 

Number Two, Diego, glides towards the house where the home invasion is still in progress. He is in a sleek combat suit, wearing a domino mask. As the robber turns, Diego disarms the intruder, shattering the man’s elbow, throwing punches into his kidneys, before finally slamming the man through the glass coffee table. Quickly fighting off the rest of the robbers, he moves to pick up his bloody knife when he hears the television that remained on throughout the fight. He swiftly leaves after seeing what the news report is showing.

Number Three, Allison, perhaps the most famous woman on the planet as she walks down the red carpet before standing in the center to face and pose for the flashing cameras. Suddenly, one of the paparazzi begins to yell at her asking if she has heard the news. Confused, Allison looks around until the rest of the paparazzi begin to ask questions concerning the funeral and her siblings. In the next moment, she is being informed of something and begins to walk away. 

Number Four, Klaus, says goodbye to the others he met in the rehabilitation center. Reaching the exit, he stops by the front desk, where a man gives him his belongings and a gold coin. A couple of moments later, Klaus is buying drugs and ends up resuscitated in an ambulance before seeing the news report of his father’s death. 

Number 7, Vanya, plays her violin for a couple of minutes before her cell phone suddenly lights up, distracting her. Playing the wrong note her solo makes her come to a halt, and she stands there with her face burning. Politely bowing to the unseen judges, Vanya packs her violin away and leaves. Walking down the sidewalk, she stops as she notices the storefront Television. There a picture of an older man wearing a monocle is seen with the news headline stating: “Eccentric Billionaire and Founder of The Umbrella Academy, Reginald Hargreeves dead at 63.” 

Number 8, y/n, slept peacefully on her couch in the apartment she shares with her sister Vanya. Unexpectedly her cell phone begins to ring loudly, waking her up. Answering her phone Vanya tells her what has happened. Shocked, she quietly tells her sister to hurry home. As she ends the call, y/n doesn’t know what to think and remains sitting on the couch, lost in her thoughts. 


	2. Just The Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You arrive back at the house for the funeral. Things haven't changed and Luther suspects something more is going on. Number Five returns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reader and Vanya do have a strong bond throughout most of the story
> 
> Please let me know if there are any mistakes.
> 
> This chapter and the next are all episode one except for the second chapter that goes a little into episode two. This happens over the course of a day.

As the taxi winds its way down a series of gravel roads, you huddle next to Vanya in the back. She gazes out the window, her mind elsewhere.

You get out of the taxi and Vanya just stares at the building. You grab her hand to bring her inside. Opening the doors, you enter the lobby and take a look around. Everything looks the same even after all these years. As you turn to look at Vanya, you see that something has caught her attention. Following her gaze, you see Mom. “Hey, Mom.” Not getting a response has you moving forward a little. “Mom?” You begin to worry, but before you have a chance to voice your concerns, you are interrupted.

“Vanya. You’re actually here.” You turn to see Allison walking down the stairs. Vanya quietly replies, “Hey, Allison.”

As Allison walks closer, she realizes you are here as well. “Oh! Y/n!” “Allison.” You quickly move to hug her. God, you missed her so much.

A few seconds later, you let go of her, and she turns to Vanya to embrace her as well. Vanya looks uncomfortable for a moment before closing her eyes and resting her chin on Allison’s shoulder.

Diego walks in. “What is she doing here? You don’t belong here. Not after what you did.” He continues glaring at Vanya before he notices you there.

You smile at him. “Diego-” Allison cuts you off. “You’re seriously going to do this today? Way to dress for the occasion, by the way!”

“At least I’m wearing black.” He goes up the stairs.

“You know what, maybe he’s right. I-” Vanya starts to say before Allison tells her to forget about him.

“You should be here along with everyone else, Vanya.” You hug her.

Not long after Allison leaves, Vanya pulls you into the library. You watch as she scans the shelves searching for a specific title. You’re surprised that she actually finds her book: “Extra Ordinary: My Life as Number Seven.” Distracted, you don’t hear Pogo come in. “Welcome home, Miss Vanya and Miss y/n.” You turn around to find Pogo standing there, dressed in a tweed jacket.

“Pogo!” Vanya quickly hugs him. You see him return the embrace warmly, and then she moves so you can hug him. You pull away, beaming.

“It’s so good to see you both.” He notices the book in Vanya’s hand. “Ah, yes. Your book.”

“I wasn’t sure if he got it. Did he- did he ever read it?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

Her expression hardens.

“Vanya, wait, you never know. He could have read it when no one was around.”

“Miss y/n is right, Miss Vanya. Your father was a very private man.”

She says nothing and returns the book to its shelf. For a moment, you look around, pausing at the framed portrait of Number Five on the wall.

“How long has it been?”

“16 years, four months, and 14 days.” Pogo sighs sadly. “Your father insisted I keep track.”

“You want to know something stupid,” Vanya stands in between you and Pogo. “I used to leave the lights on at night for him. I didn’t want him to be scared if he came back, and the house would be dark. That he couldn’t find us and leave again.”

“And I would find you there waiting, so we would make little snacks for him.” You remember how many nights you and Vanya spent waiting for him to return.

“Oh, I remember your snacks. I’m pretty sure I stepped in half of those peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches.” Pogo glances back at the portrait. “Your father always believed he was still out there, somewhere. He never lost hope.”

“And look where that got him.” Pogo grabs Vanya’s hand, and together they leave. You take another moment to scan the room before you explore the rest of the house.

_____________ moments later

Approaching the office that belonged to your Father, you hear Allison talking to someone. Entering the room, you see Allison and Klaus near the desk. Klaus turns to look at you, and he breaks out into a smile.

“y/n! Wow! Come here. It’s been so long.” He pulls you into a hug.

“Hey, Klaus!” He steps back, but you notice something on his wrist. “Just out of rehab?”

“No, no, no, I am done with all that.” He declares while moving back behind the desk.

“What are you doing in here?”

“I just came down here to prove to myself that the old man was really gone.” He claps happily. “He is. He’s dead.”

You sit on the desk as Allison looks around the office.

“You know how I know. Because if he were alive, not one of us would be allowed to set foot in this room. He was always in here our whole childhood. Planning his next torment.” He takes a seat in Dad’s chair. “Remember how he looked at us, that scowl.” Klaus points to the framed portrait above the mantle.

“Thank Christ he’s not our real father so we couldn’t inherit his cold dead eyes.” You giggle quietly. He pulls his eyes open as he faces you, mocking Father. “Number Eight.” He turns to Allison. “Number Three.”

“Get out of his chair.”

You turn around to see Luther by the door, shocked to see how different he looks now. What happened?

Klaus immediately stands up. “Oh, wow! Luther, you really filled out over the years.”

“Klaus-”

“Save the lecture I was already leaving.” He moves past you to leave before Luther stops him.

“Drop it.”

“Ex-squeeze me?”

“Do it. Now.”

Klaus walks back to the desk and drops the items he hid on himself onto the floor. “It’s just an advance on our inheritance. That’s all it is.” He walks away. “No need to get your little panties in a bunch.”

“Wait for me.” He stops at the doorway. Walking towards him, you pause by Luther and give him a small smile. “Hey Luther, it’s good seeing you again.”

He looks surprised. “Yeah. You, too.”

You nod. “Well, I’ll be going now so you guys can talk.”

“Come on, Klaus, let’s go.” You close the door. Now in the hallway, Klaus skips ahead and pulls out a box he was hiding under his coat. He kisses it and heads downstairs, leaving you alone. “I'll see you later y/n!”

____________ Short Time Later

Luther sits on the couch in front of you. Diego sits on the other armchair across from Allison, who takes small sips of her drink. Klaus serves himself a drink from the bar behind us. You sit next to Vanya on the couch, waiting for someone to say something. Finally, Luther stands up, looks around the room, and shares his thoughts.

“I guess we should get this started. So I figured we could have a sort of memorial service in the courtyard at sundown. I’ll say a few words out by Dad's favorite spot.”

“Dad had a favorite spot?” Allison sounds confused.

“Yeah. You know, under the oak tree.” Now Luther seems confused as well. “We used to sit out there all the time. None of you ever do that?”

For a moment, everyone stays quiet as if finally realizing that no one but Luther got to see a different side to Dad. Klaus breaks the silence as he sits beside you.

“Will there be refreshments? Tea? Scones? Cucumber sandwiches are always the winner.”

“No, and put that out. You know Dad didn’t allow smoking in here.” Luther reminds Klaus.

“Is that my skirt?” At that, everyone turns to Allison, then Klaus.

“What?”

He looks down at the skirt. “Oh, yeah, this. I found it in your room. It’s a little dated, I know, but it’s very breathy on the uh, bits.”

“You look great, Klaus.”

“Thank you, y/n.”

“Listen up!” Luther commands loudly, causing you to flinch. “There are still some important things we need to discuss.”

Diego finally joins the conversation. “Like what?”

“Like the way he died.”

“Aaaand here, we go.” Diego rolls his eyes.

Vanya sits up. “I don’t understand. I thought it was a heart attack?”

“According to the coroner.”

You look over to Luther. “Well, they would know.”

“Theoretically.”

“Theoretically?” Allison leans forward.

“Look, I’m just saying at the very least something happened. The last time that I talked to Dad, he sounded strange.”

“Strange how?” She motions for Luther to continue.

“He sounded on edge. Told me I should be careful who to trust.”

Diego stands and walks up to Luther. “He was a paranoid, bitter, old man who was starting to lose all that was, left of his marbles.”

“No, he must have known something was going to happen.” He stares at Klaus. “Look, I know you don’t like to do it, but I need you to talk to Dad.” You look at Klaus, worried since he doesn’t like to use his powers.

“I just can’t call Dad in the afterlife and be like, Dad, can you stop playing tennis with Hitler for a moment and take a quick call.”

“Since when? That’s your thing.”

“I’m not in the right... frame of mind.”

“You’re high,” Allison doesn’t look surprised by his actions.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Klaus sounds amused. “I mean, how are you not, listening to this nonsense.”

“Well, sober up, this is important.” Luther scans the room. “Then, there’s also the issue of the missing monocle.”

“Who gives a shit about a stupid monocle,” Diego mutters. “Exactly! It’s worthless. So whoever took it, I think it was personal. Someone close to him. Someone with a grudge.”

“Where are you going with this?” Klaus looks confused.

Diego looks to Luther. “Oh, isn’t it obvious, Klaus. He thinks one of us killed Dad.”

The news sinks in, and you realize that Luther has yet to deny it.

“Oh, you do!” Klaus exclaims.

“How could you think that?” Vanya pulls you into her side as she notices the sad look on your face. Yeah, you didn’t like Dad, but you wouldn’t murder him.

“Great job Luther. Way to lead.” Diego walks away.

“That’s not what I’m saying.” He tries to defend himself.

“You’re crazy, man. Crazy!” Klaus points to his brother as he stands. “Come with me, y/n.” He pulls you up. You don’t even stare at Luther as you walk out. “I’m not finished.” You ignore him, but Klaus responds without looking back.

“Okay, well, sorry, I’m just going to go, murder mom. I’ll be right back.”

Together you leave the room with Vanya trailing behind.

\---Flashback--- 17 years ago

The first time you used your powers, you had been so happy. Until weeks later when you formed a force field covering more than one person and blood began gushing from your nose. Your Father chose to train you harder, insisting the nosebleeds would disappear. However, after showing no progress he placed you with Vanya. You would not be able to join the others on missions until you learned to control your powers.

Days later_________

You and Vanya stand next to Dad on the roof, as he watches the others go save the hostages at the bank currently being robbed.

“Why can’t I go play with the others?”

“We’ve been through this before Number Seven. There’s just nothing special about you.”

“Oh.” She hangs her head. You grab her hand and give it a squeeze. “It’s okay, Vanya. I’ll be with you until we’re both ready and then we can join them.”

Later, you watch as your Dad introduces the six members of the Umbrella Academy. You don’t feel sad about it. That means you get to spend more time with Vanya.

\---End of Flashback---

_____________ An hour later

You walk down the hallway when you notice Vanya going downstairs. By the time you catch up to her, you see her sitting on the bottom step. You sit beside her. “Hey, how are you feeling?” 

“I’m not sure. I don’t know what to think. There’s just so much going on.” She sounds tired.

“Yeah. I guess nothing has changed.”

Vanya nods and lets her head rest on your shoulder. Minutes later, you begin to hear music playing faintly from upstairs. Vanya looks up as she recognizes the song. You smile as you stand, pulling her along. You slowly move to the beat of the song. It had been years since you heard this song. You see her hesitating before you motion for her to join you. Laughing, she begins to dance as well. However, the fun doesn’t last long, as the overhead lights flicker. You look at her when a loud rumble catches your attention from outside. 

Suddenly Diego walks in and heads outside. You pull Vanya with you as you follow your brother. Soon Luther and Allison are in front of you. Out in the courtyard you see a blazing electromagnetic disturbance hovering just a few feet from where you stand, hissing and crackling like a fireball. You barely get to wonder where Klaus might be before he runs past you with a fire extinguisher. “Get out of the way!” He throws the fire extinguisher into the fireball. 

“What is that going to do?” Allison shouts. 

“I don’t know. You have a better idea?” The disturbance gets brighter, more powerful, forcing Klaus to get back. 

“Everyone get behind me!” Luther pushes Klaus further back.

“Yeah, get behind us!” Diego motions for you and Vanya to move behind him. 

“I vote for running! Come on!” Klaus motions to you, but without warning, the disturbance implodes, folding in upon itself. As it disappears, a tiny form drops onto the ground, smoke rising from his body. The figure straightens up. You recognize him. You haven’t seen him in years, and he hasn’t aged a day, still 13 years old.

“Does anyone else see little Number Five, or is that just me?” 

You move closer to Five with the rest of your siblings. 

He looks confused at what Klaus said until he looks at himself. 

He looks back up. “Shit.” 

______________ Now Afternoon 

Now in the kitchen, you stand behind Vanya’s chair watching as Five gathers what he needs to make a sandwich. 

“What’s the date? The exact date.” Only Vanya responds.

“The twenty-fourth.” 

“Of what?” 

“March.”

“Good.” 

“So, are we going to talk about what just happened?” Five ignores Luther to continue taking out the bread. 

“It’s been 17 years.” Luther confronts Five. 

Five goes right up to him. “It’s been a lot longer than that.” He disappears and then appears on the counter, searching for something. 

“I haven’t missed that,” Luther mutters. 

Diego looks at Five. “Where did you go?” 

“The future.” Five reappears back by the table. “It’s shit, by the way.”

“Called it!” Klaus gets ignored. 

Five walks to the fridge. “I should have listened to the old man. You know jumping through space is one thing, jumping through time is a toss of the dice.” Back at the table, he pauses and looks at Klaus. “Nice dress.”

Klaus smiles, surprised. “Oh, danke.” 

“Wait, how did you get back?” 

Five briefly glances at Vanya and goes back to making his sandwich. “By projecting my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible instance of time.”

“That makes no sense.” 

“It would if you were smarter.” Diego immediately stands about to go over to Five, but Luther holds him back. “How long were you there?”

“45 years, give or take.” Both of them sit back down. You can’t believe he was away for so long. You study Five. He must have gone through so much. 

“So what are you saying, you’re 58?” 

“No. My consciousness is 58. Apparently, my body is now 13 again.” 

“How does that work?” 

“Dolores kept saying the equations were wrong. I bet she’s laughing now.” 

“Delores?” You whisper to yourself. Was he not alone?

Five takes a bite out of his sandwich as he notices the newspaper. “Guess I missed the funeral.” 

“How did you know about that?” 

“What part of the future do you not understand?” Five stares at Luther for a couple of seconds. “Heart failure, huh?”

“Yeah.” “No.” Diego and Luther answer, disagreeing with each other.

Five looks annoyed. “Nice to see nothing has changed.” 

Allison stares at Five. “That’s it? You have nothing else to say?”

Five walks out of the kitchen. “What else is there to say? Circle of life.” 

________________ Moments later

You go look for Five not long after he left. You weren’t sure what to do. You missed him, and seeing him again brought memories of when you were children. You find him standing in his room, staring at his stuff. He had already changed into the uniform you all wore as children. It was probably the only thing that would fit him. 

“He kept all my things.” 

That catches you off guard. He sounds surprised, so you walk closer to him. Bending down, you wrap your arms around him. He pulls away, flinching angrily. “What are you doing?” 

“I was giving you a hug.”

“Hug. Right.” He glares at you.

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” You take a few steps back and wrap your arms around yourself.

He stops glaring. “Hey, no. I shouldn’t have reacted like that. It’s just a side effect of 45 years without physical contact.” Forty-five years alone, you think. 

“Oh.” You nod. “I’ll be more careful. I just, it’s been so long. I missed you.” 

He smiles a little. “I missed you too, y/n.” 

“Just know I will always be here for you. For anything, okay?” 

He nods and stares out the window, haunted. You turn to look at him before walking out of his room. “I’ll see you later.” He doesn’t answer.


	3. nothing else i could do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two brothers fight. People are after Five. You learn the truth about why Five has come back.

________________ Sundown

After putting your coat on, you grab your umbrella and follow your siblings out the door. Luther carries the urn containing Dad’s ashes. You stand next to Vanya as the group forms a semi-circle around him. 

“Did something happen?” You look at Mom, confused. She has never forgotten anything. Could something be wrong?

“Dad died. Remember?” 

“Oh, yes. Of course.”

“Is Mom okay?” Allison looks to Diego. 

“Yeah. Yeah, Mom’s fine. She just needs to rest, you know. Recharge.” He doesn’t sound convinced. 

Pogo arrives last, supporting himself on his cane. “Whenever you are ready, dear boy.” 

Luther inverts the urn, and the ashes slide out in a clump causing him to look up. “Probably would have been better with some wind.”

Pogo clears his throat. “Does anyone wish to speak?” You just stare at the ground, not knowing what to say. 

“Very well. In all regards, Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me who I am today. For that, I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master, and my friend and I shall miss him very much. He was a complicated man-” Diego cuts him off. “He was a monster. He was bad as a person and worse as a father.” 

“Diego,” Allison warns. 

He ignores her. “My name is Number Two. You know why because our father couldn’t be bothered to give us actual names. He had Mom do it.” 

Mom reacts to that. “Would anyone like something to eat?” You face her. “No, it’s okay, Mom.” 

“Oh, okay.”

“Look, you want to pay your respects, go ahead. But at least be honest about the man he was.” Diego continues. 

“You should stop talking now.” Luther whispers, glaring at Diego. 

“You know, you of all people should be on my side, Number one.” 

“I am warning you.” 

“After everything, he did to you. He had to ship you a million miles away.”

“Diego, stop talking.” Luther gets angrier. 

“How much he couldn’t stand the sight of you!”

Luther loses his temper and lunges for him- But Diego has always been faster. He’s ducking Luther’s fists. You move in front of Vanya, pushing her and Mom back. 

“Boys, stop this at once.” Pogo tries to stop them. Vanya tells them to stop but also goes unheard. Frustrated, Pogo shakes his head and leaves. Diego strikes Luther several times in quick succession, but Luther grabs Diego’s jacket and hurls him through the air and onto the ground. Diego, however, springs off the floor before Luther can do anything else. You tense up as you see them moving closer to Ben’s statue. You ready yourself in case anything happens. You notice Five leaves as well, barely catching what he says. 

“Come on, big boy!” That makes you turn in time to see Luther throw a punch at Diego, who moves out of the way. As you realize what he will hit, you don’t hesitate to create a force field protecting Ben’s statue. Luther bounces back a few feet, but that doesn’t prevent him from going after Diego again. You stare at Ben, remembering how devastated you were when he died. 

You hear Vanya yell. “Diego, no!” 

You turn to see Diego throwing one of his knives at Luther. You try to form a force field in front of him, but you can’t focus. The blade tears open the sleeve of Luther’s overcoat. He stumbles, clapping a hand over the cut, hiding it from sight. He looks around before walking back to the mansion. You can’t believe he did that. 

Vanya approaches Diego. “You never know when to stop, do you?” 

“You got enough material for your sequel yet?”

“He was my father too.” She storms away. You stay next to Mom, staring after Vanya. Diego comes up to her, to pull her away. 

“Diego, wait.” 

“What?” He doesn’t even look at you. 

“Please, don’t do that again. Dad’s gone already. He’s not worth it.” That makes Diego meet your eyes. He doesn’t hesitate to bring you into his side, hugging you. 

“I’ll try, I promise.” 

You let go of him, and nod. He calls Mom, and together you head towards the doors of the mansion. Then you see Klaus sitting on one of the benches and motion for him to come inside, but he shakes his head. You understand and leave him alone. 

\---Flashback--- 17 years ago

You stood with the team at the bottom of the staircase while Vanya and Dad were at the top. He told you that even if you could not go out on missions, training was still necessary. Hearing Vanya blow the whistle, you rush up the stairs. You get pushed to the back with Five before he disappears and reappears ahead of everyone. Someone complains that Five cheated, but Dad quickly says that he adapted. 

Days later_________

You sit next to Five watching as Diego gets his tattoo. You didn’t think Dad would make you get it, but he believed that one day you would join the team. You turn away, not wanting to see Diego’s face filled with pain. Allison and Klaus stand to the side, holding each other as they cry. You didn’t want this, why would he force you to do this? 

\--- End of Flashback---

____________ Still Sundown

You enter the kitchen and see Klaus sitting at the table. “Hey, sis.” 

“Hey, Klaus.” You take a seat at the other end of the table. 

“You want one?” He points to the half-eaten sandwich on the cutting board. You nod. As he makes your sandwich, he begins to hum. Once he finishes, you grab it and sit back down. “Thanks, you’re the best.” 

He grins, pleased he made you happy with something so simple. You sit in silence as you eat. 

You finish your food as Five walks in, heading over to the shelf rack in search of something. Not long after, Allison walks in. She hangs her coat over the chair next to yours. 

“Where’s Vanya?”

“Oh, she’s gone.”

You tune out their conversation, quickly sending Vanya a message asking her why she left without you. She replies that she didn’t want to be a bother and that you should spend time with everyone else. You know the real reason. Diego. You text back saying she shouldn’t care about what Diego mentioned earlier, that she belongs here. You notice she read your message but isn’t responding. You’ll talk to her later. Hearing Five complaining about the lack of coffee in the house has you looking over at him.

“Dad hated caffeine,” Allison tells him as if he should know that already. 

“Oh, he hated children too, but he had plenty of us.” Klaus laughs, leaning back in his chair before going silent. It becomes awkward for a few seconds. 

“I’m taking the car.” 

Klaus sits up. “Where are you going?”

Five glares at Klaus. “To get a decent cup of coffee.” 

Allison crosses her arms. “Do you even know how to drive?”

“I know how to do everything.” 

“Can I come?” You ask timidly, awaiting rejection. Five turns to you struggling to make a decision. 

He shrugs. “Sure, I’ll be in the garage.” He disappears in a flash. 

“I’ll see you later.” You exit the kitchen in a hurry, fearing that Five will leave without you.

_____________ Moments later

You walk into the garage and immediately see Five behind the wheel of the Bentley. He grins as he guns the engine, you laugh at the sight. You climb into the passenger side. The second you close the door, the Bentley screams out of the garage. It swerves dangerously onto the lawn before righting itself, making you question if it was the right choice to let him drive. 

The Bentley gets parked poorly outside a cheap, greasy diner. You read the sign, Griddy’s Doughnuts. Five gets out of the car and heads inside without waiting for you to catch up. You roll your eyes, not surprised. Walking in, the place looks empty and Five already sat down at the counter ringing the bell impatiently. As you sit beside him, another customer walks in. The man sits to his left. 

The waitress finally walks over, slightly rushed. “Sorry, the sink was clogged.” She looks at the man. “So, what will it be?”

“Give me a chocolate eclair.” 

“Sure.” 

“What can I get you, dear?”

“I’ll take a cup of tea.”

“Okay. Can I get the kid a glass of milk or something?” 

Five glares at her, mad that she called him a kid. “The kid wants coffee. Black.” 

The waitress stares at him for a long beat. Five just grins.

You sigh, ready to intervene, but the waitress looks at the old man, nods, and backs away, unnerved. She probably assumed you and Five are his kids. 

You turn to Five, ready to scold him, but he begins to talk to the man. The waitress returns and sets down your cup of tea. You reach into your pocket to get money, knowing Five doesn’t have any. The older man beats you to it. 

“I got theirs.” He hands over the money, and she goes into the backroom. You sip your tea quietly, waiting for Five to finish his conversation. You catch something about the man knowing the city and an address. The man then gets his eclair and leaves. 

The door opens again, but you pay no attention to it. Five goes to take a sip of his coffee, but stops and lowers it back down. “Don’t turn around.” You tilt your head a little and slightly nod. 

“That was fast. I thought I would have more time before they found me.” He doesn’t turn around. 

“So let's all be professional about this, you know. On your feet, and come with us. We want to talk.” The deep voice comes from right behind you.

“I’ve got nothing to say.” 

“It doesn’t have to go this way. Think I want to shoot a kid? Go home with that on my conscience.”

“Well, I wouldn't worry about that. You won't be going home.” Five tells the man. You see him slowly grab the butter knife. He motions for you to hide behind the counter. What is he planning? The man commands some of his men to grab you, realizing they can use you as leverage. You turn to face them when you see Five appearing behind the man and plunging the knife into his neck. A man to your left attempts to grab your arm, but your force field throws him back into the wall. Too late to hide now. Knowing you can’t keep the force field around you for long, you let it disappear. You can do this. You trained for years. The next man that comes your way gets roundhouse kicked in the face.

Four more men appear near you, and you bend down taking a grenade off the man you knocked out. For the first time in years, you form a force field to trap them. Concentrating on what you have to do, you throw the grenade in and allow the force field to close. Blood is rapidly flowing from your nose and down your chin. Your hands shake in front of you as the men explode into pieces. The force field disappears as the explosion dies down, and in the place of the men, a bloody mess remains. You let your body sag, feeling drained and exhausted at what you had to do. 

You look around for Five and spot him taking his tie off a dead man. He puts it back on before walking over to the man you had knocked out to snap his neck. He scans you looking for any injuries. “You okay?” 

“Yeah, I'm fine.” 

Five picks up a knife from one of the bodies and sits back at the counter. You stand behind him while he cuts into his arm and pulls out a tracker.

He gets up and you both exit the dinner. Five throws the tracker on the ground and walks away. He isn’t going to the car so you begin to follow him anyways, not wanting to be left alone.

______________ Minutes later

Five had led you to your apartment. 

"You know I can't get in without my keys, right?" 

You had left your phone and keys in the car. Ugh, now you would have to get them back later. Five gestures to the window on the second floor and starts climbing. 

"How do you know where we live?"

At the lack of an answer, you shake your head and follow along. 

Finally, inside, Five makes himself comfortable in the chair next to the lamp. 

“You and Vanya should have locks on your windows.” 

“Why? We live on the second floor.” 

"Rapists can climb. You saw how easy it was.” 

Weirdly, he had a point. “I’ll talk to Vanya about it.” 

You go wash your face in the kitchen sink to get rid of the blood. As you finish drying your face, you lay on the couch. “I assume you came here to talk to Vanya. Why?” 

“You will know when she gets here.” 

It must be pretty important then. Around ten minutes have passed when Vanya opens the door. Five turns the lamp on. 

“Jesus!” You hear her exclaim. You sit up and look over the couch at her.

“Hey, sorry, I would have called to let you know we were here, but I left my phone at the mansion.” You lie not wanting her to ask about where you were.

“It’s alright, y/n.” Vanya places the keys on the side table next to the door. She moves closer and squints as she looks at you. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.” 

“I’m fine, just tired.” 

She still looks worried as she sits next to you, before looking closely at Five. “Is that blood?” 

“It’s nothing.” He says, reminding you of the cut on his arm. You stand and go get the supplies. Five rolls his sleeve up. You kneel beside him and start cleaning his cut. 

“When I jumped forward and got stuck in the future, you know what I found?” He pauses briefly. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” 

You wrap the bandage around his arm.

“As far as I could tell, I was the last person left alive.” He has a haunted look in his eyes. “I never figured out what killed the human race. I did find something else. The date it happens.” He hesitates. “The world ends in eight days. I have no idea how to stop it.” 

You sit back. He only just came home, and now you find out the world is going to end. 

“I’ll put on a pot of coffee.” Vanya walks to the kitchen. You sit back on the couch remembering the day Five left and never returned. 

\---Quick Flashback---

As usual, you hear Mom ringing the bell, alerting to head downstairs for breakfast. You walk over to your chair next to Five. Dad arrives last. “Sit.” He commands, sitting down first. You eat your food quietly when Five stabs the butter knife into the dining table. The loud noise it makes catches the attention of everyone. 

“Number Five.” Dad doesn’t even look up. You tense up, but continue to eat. 

“I have a question.”

“Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules. No talking during meal times.” 

Five pushes his plate away. “I want to time travel.”

“No.”

“But I’m ready.” Five argues before standing up. “I’ve been practicing my spatial jumps, just like you said.” He appears by Dad. “See!”

“A spatial jump is trivial when compared to the unknowns of time travel. One is like sliding along the ice. The other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn.”

“Well, I don’t get it.” 

"Hence, the reason you are not ready.” Vanya shakes her head at Five. You glance at him, and he stares back for a brief second. 

“I’m not afraid.”

“Fear isn’t the issue. The effects it might have on your body, even on your mind, are far too unpredictable.” Dad finally looks at him. “Now, I forbid you to talk about this anymore.” Five turns and walks away. 

“Number Five, you haven’t been excused. Come back here.” Five ignores his demand. 

That was the last day you saw him. 

\---End of Flashback---

Vanya returns with three cups of coffee on a tray that she sets on the coffee table after passing them out. Five carries on. 

“I survived on scraps. Canned food, cockroaches, anything I could find.” He chuckles. “You know that rumor that Twinkies have an endless shelf life?” He takes a sip. “Well, it’s total bullshit.” 

Vanya sets her cup down. “I can imagine.” 

“You do whatever it takes to survive, or you die. So we adapted. Whatever the world threw at us, we found a way to overcome it.”

You cut in. “We?” He doesn’t answer. 

He lifts his cup. “You got anything stronger?” 

Moving into the kitchen, you place your cup in the sink and lean against the counter. Vanya pulls out a bottle of alcohol and serves Five in a different cup. She hands it to him and he immediately takes a gulp. 

He looks at her. “You think I’m crazy.” 

“No.” She stammers. “It’s just-It’s a lot to take in.”

“Exactly what don’t you understand?” 

“Why didn’t you just time travel back?” 

He scoffs. “Gee, wish I’d thought of that.” 

“Five-” He cuts you off. 

“Time travel is a crapshoot. I went into the ice and never acorn-ed. You think I didn’t try everything to get back to my family?”

“You know that’s not what she meant, Five.”

“If you grew old there, how come you still look like a kid?” 

He scoffs again. “I told you already.” 

You think back to earlier. “Right, the equations were wrong.” He seems grateful that at least someone understands. He pours himself another drink. 

“I mean, Dad used to say that time travel could mess up your mind. Maybe that’s what’s happening?”

He slams the cup on the counter. 

You sigh. “Five, hold on-” He doesn’t let you finish again. 

“This was a mistake." He walks to the door, ready to leave. "You’re too young, too naive to understand.”

Vanya goes after him. “No. Five, wait. We haven’t seen you in a long time, and we don't want to lose you again.”

You stand beside her. “Yeah, Five. That’s all.”

“And you know what, it’s late, and I have lessons early, and y/n has things to do. Also, I need to sleep. I’m sure we all do.” She pulls the blanket draped over the couch and sets it down so Five can sleep comfortably. We’ll talk in the morning again. I promise.” “Night.” She heads to her room.

“Night.” Five responds, looking at her retreating figure. 

“If you need me for anything, I’ll be there. We also need to talk about the people after you. Please be careful. We just got you back.” 

He turns to you. “I know. I will.” 

“Okay, goodnight, Five.” He nears the couch. “Goodnight, y/n.”

With that, you walk into your room and fall asleep fast after the long day you had.


End file.
